


Mother Turtle-Duck

by Musically_Yours17



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Family Fluff, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Future Fic, Married Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Oneshot, Parenthood, Post-Avatar: The Last Airbender, Turtleduck(s), Ursa (Mentioned) - Freeform, Zuko (Avatar) is a Good Parent, Zutara Week, just fluff that's all it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:14:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25563442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musically_Yours17/pseuds/Musically_Yours17
Summary: A oneshot set post-season three of AtLA.  Zuko watches and reflects on his family of turtle-ducks.
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 76
Collections: Zutara Week 2020





	Mother Turtle-Duck

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Zutara Week 2020!! To all of those who are celebrating, I hope you have a wonderful week, and enjoy this little oneshot!

Tiny, chubby hands were the first thing he saw. Tiny, sweet, baby hands reaching for long chocolate locks, only to be gently removed, and placed back in a small, maroon and navy lap. This was followed up by noises of protestation from the child, quickly evolving into the precursor of a tearful “No mama!”. A woman hushed the child.  
“Look at that, darling. Don’t you see it?” Questioned a calming voice; presumably buried in the neck of the small child. The child looked around frantically, desperate to prove himself capable of finding whatever it was that the dark-haired woman was smiling so brightly about. The mother tucked a few curly, raven locks back into the tiny prince’s top knot that had been knocked askew by wondering eyes. “Do you see them?”

“Not yet, sweet boy,” rang the beautiful voice. “We must be gentle with the turtle-ducks. They are daddy’s favorite.”

The woman took the child’s hand in her own, and laced his tiny, infantile fingers in-between larger, tan digits. She made a motion for another figure in the garden to join the tiny family watching the spring turtle-duck chicks. Light padding feet followed the gesture to the pond’s shore.  
This time, a young girl joined the family, her long, dark hair swaying in the process. The mother placed the hand that was not holding the boy down onto the girl’s back, moving her right up against her side, causing soft giggles to elicit from the girl’s small lips. Her mother bent down, and placed a light kiss on the girl’s hair, before moving back and doing the same to the boy, drawing small squeals of joy from chubby toddler cheeks.  
Unbeknownst to them, they were not alone in their watching of the turtle-ducks.

The girl’s eyes lit up, impossibly brighter as she watched the chicks follow their mother single-file, closer to the small family in the grass above.  
“Look, mommy,” said the girl, looking up at the larger figure through dark, messy bangs. “They follow their mama like we follow you around the palace!”  
The woman laughed, throwing her dark, wavy hair behind her as she looked back down at her own turtle-duckling.  
“Daddy calls us turtle-ducks. Is that why, mama?” The girl asked excitedly, as if connecting the dots for the first time.  
“‘Cause we follows you, Mama!” Yelled the small boy, shocked by his own discovery. The mother turtle-duck quacked out an angry response.  
“Quiet, my darling. Or we’ll scare her babies… and you know what happens when a mother turtle-duck thinks her babies are in danger,” the older woman added.  
“What mama? Wha’ happens?” The young girl’s excitement drained, and worry replaced it, fearful of her mother’s serious tone. If her mommy was so serious, the mother turtle-duck must be dangerous. Maybe Izumi should back up.

But the turtle-ducks continued their short journey to the shore, and two families joined as one; one human, one turtle-duck. The playful eyes of the children met, excited to greet their new, but very familiar-acting, friends. The young boy seemed to contemplate something heavily as his eyebrows furrowed in a look that could only be described as adorable on such a young face. One side won out, and the boy’s chubby hands reached for the tiny turtle-ducks again, this time brushing the downy feathers with his tan fingertips. The mother waddled quickly up to the curious boy, and nipped the offending fingers. A sharp warning to the humans on the shore; her babies were not a plaything. While not entirely painful, the warning called forth tears in the young boy’s eyes, and he began to wail.

“Well,” began the mother, “When someone threatens her babies,” she grasped the young boy’s hand, and pressed a kiss to it, quieting him instantly. “-the mother turtle-duck… bites back!” She exclaimed happily, tickling the baby in her arms. The child’s cerulean eyes filled with delight, and laughter rang throughout the courtyard as turtle-ducks squawked and squealed around them. The girl began playing with her brother, smiling widely at the mother who she took after so deeply.

The shadowed figure couldn’t help but smile, reminded of the turtle-ducks of his own childhood. And his mother. His mother, who never failed to remind him of the value of family- even after she was gone. His mother, who taught him to feed the turtle-ducks scraps of bread while his father planned an endless war. His mother, who took her own life so that Zuko’s might be spared. He couldn’t help but look upon his own family of turtle-ducks and think to himself,  
this is how family is supposed to be. 

His family. His beautiful, wonderful, joyful family. That she gave him.

Zuko stepped out from his hiding spot behind the water-oak tree to fully see his babies playing in the garden- rolling around gleefully, turtle-duck chicks climbing over their full tummies and short legs. He watched them intently, smiling, laughing along with them when a particularly small turtle-duckling chick balanced on little Kai’s chest and squawked at him pointedly- until he felt something wet drop over his head. Not enough to shower him, but just enough to get his full attention. He looked over at his wife and found her smirking playfully, hands behind her back, as if she hadn’t just bent pond water to drop over the ruler of the Firenation.

“I thought mother turtle-ducks were supposed to protect their families…” said Zuko, with a smile nearly reaching his eyes, as he waltzed over to his waterbending wife and sat by her side, taking in the playing young around them.  
“Mmm,” she hummed, dropping her head to his shoulder, still moving a stream of water between her slender fingers. “They protect their babies. They’ve never said anything about spying husbands,” Katara whispered, pressing a quick kiss to the still-wet side of his face. The pair looked on as their children played happily with the surrounding turtle-ducks- the mother in the pond, watching the chaos unfold in the garden. They weren’t so different, after all.


End file.
